Welcome to our Cerebral Palsy FAQs page! Find answers to common questions about cerebral palsy, its causes, treatments, and support. If you have inquiries, explore this resource to gain valuable insights and information.
In each child diagnosed with cerebral palsy, different parts of the brain are affected. This makes it challenging to pinpoint the cause.No cause can be found in about 30% of the children
Below are some known causes of Cerebral Palsy before birth, around the time of birth and after birth.
Causes before birth:
• Infections of the mother while she is pregnant.
• Differences between the blood of mother and child (rh incompatibility).
• medical condition of the mother, such as diabetes.
• Inherited. This is rare, but there is a ‘familial spastic paraplegia’.
Causes around the time of birth:
• Lack of oxygen (air) at birth- In certain regions, the overuse of hormones (oxytocics) to induce labour prematurely narrows the uterine blood vessels to the point that the foetus is not receiving enough oxygen. In certain instances, the infant can have the cord encircling her neck.
Birth injuries from difficult births- Most of these cases are of large babies born to slim or extremely young mothers.
Prematurity. The risk of Cerebral palsy is higher among babies under the age of nine months who weigh less than 2 kilogrammes (5 pounds).
Causes after birth:
• Brain infections (meningitis, encephalitis).
• Head injuries.
• Very high fever due to infection or dehydration (water loss from diarrhea).
• Lack of oxygen from drowning, gas poisoning, or other causes.
• Bleeding or blood clots in the brain, often from unknown cause.
NO! It cannot be passed from one child to another.
YES! And their children will not have the condition (except in a very rare type of
cerebral palsy).
Rehabilitation and physical therapy.
These therapies are typically initiated in the early years of a child’s life or shortly after the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. One of the key components of treatment is physical therapy.
It involves exercises and activities that can maintain or improve muscle strength, balance, and movement. A paediatric physical therapist assists the child in acquiring motor skills such as sitting, walking, and wheelchair use.
Occupational therapy
a child learns how to perform daily activities like getting dressed and getting to school with the aid of this kind of therapy.
Other forms of therapy include:
- Speech and language therapy.
- Recreational therapy.
Medication and surgery
Typically, medications don’t help, with the exception of those used to control seizures. (Despite being given frequently, medications intended to lessen spasticity can often be ineffective and even harmful.) Stubborn, severe contractures can occasionally be corrected with surgery. Surgically weakening or relaxing spastic muscles, however, is less common and occasionally worsens the condition. It requires careful consideration. Surgery usually should be considered only if the child is already walking and has increasing difficulty because of contractures. In a child who cannot balance well enough to stand, surgery usually will not help. Sometimes surgery to separate the legs can help make cleaning and bathing easier.
Families have a lot they can do to teach their children how to function better. In most cases, the smarter child will figure out how to effectively adjust to her situation. But intelligence isn’t always required. Actually, some bright children give up because they get discouraged and dissatisfied easily. It will need more work to come up with creative and engaging methods to keep them moving forward. Many times, children with extreme impairments can pick up important basic abilities. There is little chance of significant development until the child’s mental damage is so severe that they are completely non-responsive to people and things. However, make sure to check for deafness or vision loss before passing judgement on a child who does not reply.
The child with cerebral palsy will become an adult with cerebral palsy. Searching for cures will only bring disappointment. Instead, help the child become an adult who can live with her disability and be as independent as possible.
Most of children with cerebral palsy do eventually learn to walk, though occasionally much later than usual. Generally speaking, a child has a higher chance of walking the less severely affected she is and the earlier she can sit without assistance. Although many other factors are involved, her chances of walking may be favourable if she can sit without assistance by the time she is two years old. Some children start walking at age seven, ten, or even older.
Children who are hemiplegic or diplegic typically do learn to walk, however some may require the use of crutches, braces, or other assistance.
Many severely affected children may never walk. We need to accept this, and aim for other important goals. Whether or not the child may someday walk, he needs some way to get from place to place. Here is a true situation that helped us to realize that other things are more important than walking.
There are numerous approaches for helping children who are unable to walk or who walk with difficulty. Assistive devices such as wheelchairs, special walkers, hand pedal bicycles and Wagons, can be used.
Cerebral palsy cannot always be prevented, as its causes are often complex and may involve factors during pregnancy, childbirth, or shortly after birth. However, some general guidelines for reducing the risk include maintaining a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, getting appropriate prenatal care, preventing infections, and avoiding exposure to harmful substances. It’s crucial for expectant mothers to follow medical advice and attend regular check-ups to address any potential risk factors.